Alvin Cohen

 Alvin Cohen was born on May 26, 1926 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Cohen attended Boston University, where he graduated in 1946 with a degree in Chemistry. Cohen intended to continue his education in medical school, but due to the death of his father, he had to take over the failing family appliance business.

In 1953, Cohen moved his family to Plainview, NY, so he could work for his uncle in Manhattan. His new job was as a shipping clerk for a dress manufacturing business in the Garment District. In 1960, he realized he was tired of a desk job, which he never truly wanted, and decided he was going to buy a six-acre chicken farm on Route 110. This six-acre parcel of land was going to allow him to create a family amusement park on Long Island.

Although Cohen’s vision was new and exciting for the area, the banks were not as excited about the idea and would not give Cohen a loan for $20,000. Cohen and an unnamed business partner decided to convince family members to give them small loans each that would amount to the total they needed, and they succeeded. After obtaining their loans, they purchased the land. Shortly after their purchase, New York State extended the Long Island Expressway to Route 110, which finally allowed for the boom of Suffolk County. This was big for their business due to its convenient location and close proximity to the expressway.

The park eventually opened in 1962 under the name: Adventureland 110 Playland. The park consisted of a restaurant, four rides, mini-golf course, and an indoor arcade. This park was a true family business with many members of the family pitching in to help run the park, including operating rides. With the success of the parks opening, Cohen was able to expand the park and had 16 rides.

Sometime in the early 1970s, Cohen became sole owner of the park. During this time, Cohen purchased 6 more acres of land that was attached to the property. This allowed him to expand the park even more, including an increase in the number of rides to 30. Following the success of his park, Cohen purchased another park in Rhode Island, and he also became a global consultant in the amusement park industry.

In 1977, Cohen decided to sell his park for an undisclosed amount of money and moved to Florida. After the move, he became a housing developer and philanthropist. Cohen was said to be a people person, which showed in his successful business, as well as becoming a philanthropist to help those he could. His success also allowed for his children and nephew (that he raised) to follow their dreams, as well as his dream, and all three of his children became doctors. Cohen lived out his the remainder of his life in Florida until his death in June of 2020, due to complications from COVID-19.

 

Source:

Barker, B. (2020, December 04). Alvin Cohen: Visionary founder of Adventureland. Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/obituaries/adventureland-founder-alvin-cohen-obituary-1.46537685